Architect Tim Fu, founder of London-based Studio Tim Fu, is helping redefine how AI integrates into architectural practice—treating it not just as a tool, but as a creative collaborator. In this practical guide, Fu shares how AI plays a role at every stage of his projects, from concept development to technical detailing.

His recent Lake Bled Estates in Slovenia, which he calls the world’s first fully AI-driven architectural project, illustrates how generative AI can turn site data like topography and solar paths into visionary design ideas that are both sustainable and visually compelling.

Fu blends platforms like Midjourney, Stable Diffusion, and Rhino with his studio’s own UrbanGPT tool to generate concepts, optimise layouts, and help visualise urban strategies. But he cautions against relying on AI as a decision-maker, stressing the need for human oversight to ensure empathy, ethics, and context stay central.

AI’s most exciting potential, Fu believes, lies in its ability to democratise design, empower emerging firms, and unlock radical new typologies. As AI tools become more embedded in BIM and CAD, and more responsive in real time, Fu says the role of the architect will shift—requiring critical thinking as much as technical fluency.